§ The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Margaret Beckett)At the meeting of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers in December a number of important decisions were taken on fisheries measures to help restore depleted stocks. Necessarily they include real new constraints on fishing and the Government recognises that they may impact on some coastal fisheries communities. We have already promised to respond with financial assistance which will address the needs, and promote sustainability, both in the fishing industry and local communities, and I am now able to set this out in more detail.
We propose to provide grants to help vessel owners who wish to do so, to leave the industry by decommissioning their boats. An SI will be laid before Parliament for approval. The intention is to remove 15–20 per cent. of the English fleet's fishing effort on cod in the North Sea and West of Scotland, in order to bring the fleet capacity better into line with fishing opportunities. Similar schemes are proposed by the Scottish Executive and in Northern Ireland. Decommissioning of this scale in the UK fleet will secure the 15 day per month allowance for fishing in the new interim EU scheme for limiting time at sea. Detailed rules for targeting the scheme and for assessing applications for grant will be developed in discussion with the English catching industry shortly. A tendering process is expected to apply and the cost in England is likely to reach £5 million.
The EU decided in December that to improve control of fisheries the requirement to install satellite tracking equipment on vessels should be extended to 15–24 metre boats. To help fishermen Defra will provide £400,000 over two years to allow 40 per cent. grant to be paid towards the cost of the terminals and their installation.
There will also be help for fishing-dependent communities. Regional Development Agencies, which have responsibility for economic development and regeneration in England, are already engaged, in strong local partnerships, targeted on the economic development of coastal communities.
It is important that fishermen have access to the help that is provided by local Business Links, Learning and Skills Councils and JobCentre Plus. I have therefore asked the RDAs, working with and coordinating the activity of these partnerships, to urgently ensure that arrangements are in place to ensure the effective delivery of assistance and guidance for local fishing communities particularly affected, taking full account of the recent decisions and their impact on those communities.
RDAs and other agencies have substantial resources to address their economic and social responsibilities. However, where necessary, Defra will provide additional resources for facilitation to ensure that the services which are most needed are identified in those fishing communities which are dependent on the fish stocks of the North Sea and West of Scotland.
The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has emphasised the importance of strengthening the involvement of the fishing industry in 36WS the assessment of stocks, in close partnership with our scientists. We warmly welcome their approach, which will help to ensure a fuller appreciation of the state of and prospects for fish stocks. We will provide additional funds for this purpose and will consult them on how this initiative might best be taken forward.
An additional £lmillion will be provided to finance both the facilitation arrangements described above and industry involvement with the scientists, as well as providing the potential for other priority initiatives in recognition of the English industry's transitional problems.